Art of making lace curtains



Nov. 19, 1935. J. WATERFIELD ART OF MAKING LACE CURTAINS 2 Sheets-Sheet1 Filed Oct. 30, 1934 ATTOR Y Nov; 19, 1935. I WATERFIELD 2,021,844

ART QF MAKING LACE CURTAINS Filed Opt. 50, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z vINVENTOF? W ATTOR Y Patented Nov. 19, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEART OF MAKING LACE CURTAINS Application October 30, 1934, Serial No.750,667

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the art of making lacecurtains.

An object of the invention is to provide a curtain= of novelconstruction having a two ply border portion simulating a hem butdiffering therefrom by presenting a non-straight or sinuously formedfree edge for improving the appearance and enhancing the beauty of thecurtain. Another object is to provide a novel construction andarrangement of parts wherein the outer edge-portion of theplies of theborder portion are connected and finished in a manner to lend strength,durability and attractiveness to the ,curtain.

Another object is to provide a novel construction and association ofparts wherein the outer edges of the two ply border portion are securedtogether by over-edge thread stitches which enclose a cord and form astrong and durable foundationfor the immediately adjacent weaker partsof the lace fabric and wherein a second cord laterally adjacent and inclose proximity to the first named cord is secured to such parts bythread stitches and provided with outwardly extending embellishing loopswhich cross the cord enclosed bythe over-edge thread stitches.

A further object of-the invention is to provide a novel and advantageousart or method of making a lace curtain having the characteristics aboveset forth. "With the foregoing and related objects'in view, theinvention resides in the novel art of making the curtain as will behereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a front view of a curtain containing the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of an edge portion of the curtain, enlarged.

Figure 3 is a section through an edge portion of the curtain, enlarged,on .line 3--'3 of Fig. 1.

Figure 4 is a front view of a part of'an edge 'p'ortionof a length oflace fabric employed in constructing the curtain'shown in 'Fig. 1.

Figure 5 is a front view of the fabric shown in Fig. 4, showing thecondition thereof after the same has been folded and stitched to producea hem thereon.

Figure-Bis a'front View of the fabric, showing the'condition thereofafter the same has been hemmed, as shown in Fig. 6, and after a part or.parts of the free edge portion of the hem has been cut and over-edgethread stitches have been applied to the remaining two plies of the cuthem.

Figure 7 is a front View of the fabric, showing the condition thereofafter the same has been hemmed and cut and had the cord and over-edgethread stitches applied to the plies of the hem and after a second cordhas been applied and 5 stitched to the fabric adjacent to the over-edgestitches and the cord enclosed therein, the illustration being anenlargement of the portion of the completed curtain embraced by the line'l'! in Fig. 1. 10

Figures 8 and 9are sections through the fabric, on lines 88 and 9-9 ofFigs. 5 and 6,

' respectively.

Referring to the drawings, 2 designates the body of the curtain which isformed of suitable 15 lace fabric, such, for example, as Nottinghamlace.

The body of the curtain has a two ply border portion! extending alongone side thereof and along the bottom thereof. 20

One ply 5 of the border portion '4 is'formed of and constitutes acontinuation of the main body. 2 of the curtain, and the other ply ii ofthe border portion is formed of suitable lace fabric.

The fabric of the main body 2 including the part thereof which forms theply 5 of the border portion 4, is formed of a ground-work of open 'meshinterrupted by areas ill of fabric of greater density constitutingdesign forming figures for ornamenting the curtain, and the ply 6 of theborder portion is, preferably, formed entirely of open mesh fabric.

The inner edge portion of the ply 6 of the border portion ofthe curtainis folded and secured to the main body 2 of the curtain by suitablethread stitches l l.

The outer edges of the two plies 5 and 6 of the border portion may be ofany desired coinciding 0r matched configuration, and, in accordance withthe advantages of my-invention, such configuration may-be non-straightand of the sinuous form illustrated-m ths drawings. The adjacent outeredge portions of the two plies are enclosed within and secured togetherby overedge thread stitches 12 which penetrate the pliesand enclose acord l3 with the edge portions thereof.

The-fabricfrom which the curtain is made is woven so that the edge of atleast one of the plies of the border portion -whose edge portion isenclosed by the thread stitches l2 will be of greater density than theopen mesh portions of the fabric and of acharacter like the fabric ofthe areas In which form the design figures. In the fabric of the curtainherein illustrated, the edge 55 portion of the ply 5 which is enclosedby the thread stitches I2 is of a character like and forms acontinuation of the fabric which forms the design figures I5, suchfigures having portions which follow the sinuous line of the outer edgeof the border portion 4.

The outer edge portion of the border portion 4 has a cord I4 applied tothe outer surface of the ply 5 thereof, and this cord I4 is secured tothe border portion by suitable thread stitches I5 which penetrate thetwo plies 5 and. 6 and enclose the cord I4. The cord I4 extendslaterally adjacent and in close proximity to the over-edge threadstitches I2 and the cord I3 enclosed thereby. The cord It follows thesinuous line of the outer edge of the border portion 4 and it isprovided, at suitably spaced intervals, with embellishing, free loops itwhich extend outwardly from the line of thread stitches I5 and cross andextend beyond the over-edge stitches I2 and the cord I3 enclosedthereby.

Those portions of the fabric immediately adjacent to but outside of theover-edge stitches I2 may be, in whole or in part, formed of open meshor fabric of greater density. In either case the edge portions of theplies 5 and 6 and the cord I3 and the stitches I2 enclosing them providea foundation which lends strength and durability to the portions of theplies to which the cord I4 is secured, thereby permitting any desiredvariation in the open mesh ground-work and design forming figures ofgreater density by permitting either of them to extend to the cord I4 inaccordance with the design produced in the lace fabric of the curtain.Thus it will be understood that the employment of the two cords I3 andI4 and their associated stitches I2 and I5, respectively, and the partsof the two plies of the border portion of the curtain to which they areattached provides a free edge for the border portion which may have anydesired contour and which is not only strong and durable and ornamentalbut which will permit any desired variation in the design of the lacefabric of the curtain.

In producing a curtain constructed in accordance with my invention, Iproduce a suitable length of lace fabric which is wider and longer thanthe finished curtain to be produced therefrom, and I use the excesswidth and length for the production of a hem on one side thereof and onthe bottom thereof as one step in the art of producing my improvedcurtain, and, as the subsequent operations on the two hems are the sameI shall describe such operations only in connection with the side hem.

In Fig. 4 of the drawings the excess width in the length of fabric fromwhich the curtain illustrated in the drawings is produced is designatedby the numeral 2| and it is that portion of the fabric shown in Fig. 4which is on the right hand side of the vertical line I'I-II.

After the length of lace fabric with this excess width 2| is produced,the fabric is folded on the line IIil, the free edge portion of the part2| thereof is folded inwardly and secured to the main body of the fabricby the line of thread stitches II, thereby producing a side hem I8 inthe fabric, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 8.

The design forming figures ID of the fabric are so related to the partsof the hem I8 that they appear only on the forward ply of the hem andthey include sinuously formed parts I9 which extend along the free edgeportion of the hem inwardly of the fold thereof which constitutes thestraight free edge of the hem, as shown in Fig. 5.

After the hem I8 has been produced, as just described, the portions 28'of the hem I8 which extend outwardly from the sinuously formed parts I9are severed from the main body of the hem by cutting the two plies ofthe hem between the fold thereof and such parts and in close relation tosuch parts, and the remaining edge portions of the hem plies are securedtogether by the application thereto of the over-edge thread stitches I2which penetrate and enclose the outer portions of the parts I9 andfollow the sinuous line formed thereby, as shown in Fig. 6. The stitchesI2 are applied immediately following the cutting of the hem plies andthey are applied as rapidly as the stitches are applied by a suitablefabric cutting and sewing machine; and, as rapidly as the stitches I2are applied, the cord I3 is fed to the edge portions of the hem pliesand I enclosed with the same within the stitches I2, as shown in sectionin Fig. 3. The cord I3 extends within the stitches I2 throughout theentire sinuously formed edge portion of the curtain.

After the hem plies have been cut to form the two plies 5 and 6 of theborder portion 4 of the finished curtain, and after the over-edgestitches I2 and the cord I3 have been applied to the plies,

as above described, the second cord I4 is applied to the outer surfaceof the ply 5 laterally adjacent and in close proximity to the cord I3and the overedge stitches I2 enclosing the same, and this second cord I4is secured to the border portion 4 of the curtain by the thread stitchesI5 which penetrate the two plies of such portion and enclose the cordI4. The stitches I5 are produced by a suitable sewing machine which isprovided with means for feeding the cord I4 to the stitches during theproduction thereof, and, at certain spaced intervals throughout the lineof stitches i5 the embellishing loops I6 are formed in the cord. Theseloops extend outwardly from the line of stitches and cross the cord I3and the overedge stitches I2 enclosing the same, as illustrated in thedrawings, and the loops I6 may conveniently be formed by a means in thesewing machine which produces the stitches I5 and feeds the cord I4thereto.

I desire it to be understood that the side and bottom border portions ofthe curtain are alike or substantially alike in construction and thateither of such portions may be omitted without departing from myinvention.

I claim:

1. The art of producing a lace curtain which consists in producing alength of lace fabric, producing a hem on one edge portion of the fabricby folding the same and securing it to the main body of the fabric bythe application of thread stitches ground-work and including sinuouslyformed 70 parts extending along but spaced from an edge of the fabric,producing a hem on the edge portion of the fabric containing saidsinuously formed parts by folding said portion and stitching it to themain body of'the fabric by a sewing operation, 75

severing a portion of the hem from the main body thereof by cutting thetwo plies of the hem between the fold thereof and said sinuously formedparts by a cutting operation following the lines of said parts, andsecuring the remaining edge portions of the two plies of the hemtogether by the application of over-edge thread stitches thereto.

3. The art of producing a lace curtain which consists in producing alength of lace fabric, producing a hem on one edge portion of the fabricby folding the same and securing it to the main body of the fabric bythe application of thread stitches thereto, severing a portion of thehem from the main body thereof by cutting the two plies of the heminwardly of the fold thereof, applying a cord to the remaining edgeportions of the plies of the hem, and securing said cord andsaidremaining edge portions together by the application of over-edge threadstitches thereto.

4. The art of producing a lace curtain which consists in producing alength of lace fabric having a ground-work of open mesh and designforming figures of greater density than the groundwork and includingsinuously formed parts extending along but spaced from an edge of thefabric, producing a hem on the edge portion of the fabric containingsaid sinuously formed parts by folding said portion and stitching it tothe main body of the fabric by a sewing operation, severing a portion ofthe hem from the main body thereof by cutting the two plies of the hembetween the fold thereof and said sinuously formed parts by a cuttingoperation following the lines of said parts, applying a cord to theremaining edge portions of the plies of the hem, and securing said cordand said remaining edge portions together by the application ofover-edge thread stitches thereto. 6

' JAMES WATERFIELD.

